Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Crushed Tomato Marinara and Sweet Italian Sausage
Let me just preface this post by saying that never-have-I-ever had a substitute for spaghetti that was this good. And I was raised on pasta. As in, we had it more than one night a week growing up. Pasta definitely fills you up and tastes delicious, but the problem with eating a main course that is mostly carbs is that you feel hungry a LOT sooner after eating. That's why balancing fiber and protein in your meal is imperative. This low-carb dinner does the trick!
Roll up your sleeves, and start by prepping your squash. Just a warning: this is hard. If you've ever tried to carve a pumpkin, or cut a butternut squash, you know how tricky gourds can be. Just take your time and be careful; it's easy for your knife to get away from you when slicing through the flesh of the squash. Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise until you have two pieces. Take a spoon, and scrape out the seeds, but don't throw them away; you can season and roast them for a perfect snack or in salads! Recipe for that to come later. You can see the delicate strands that make up the flesh of the squash. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper, place them flesh side down on an oiled cookie sheet, and set in a 400 degree F oven for 30-35 minutes.
While your squash is roasting, it's time to make the base for your crushed marinara. The texture of this sauce is incredibly substantial, and when you don't have the real pasta, you'll want something with a little bite to it. Melt 1T butter in a non-stick saute pan over med-high heat. Dice 1 large white onion, and 4 medium cloves of garlic and add to the pan. Cook until onions are somewhat caramelized and translucent. Then chop 7 large, vine-ripened tomatoes and throw in the pan with the onions. Add 1tsp salt, 1tsp ground black pepper, 1/2tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and 2tsp dried Italian herbs (these usually have oregano, basil, thyme, etc.). Cover and reduce heat to medium; cook for 20 minutes, using the back of a wooden spoon, periodically, to break down tomatoes.
In a separate pan (I use a cast iron skillet), brown 5 large, sweet Italian sausages over high heat. (TayTip: to cook perfect sausages, always have a full measuring cup of water next to the pan. Pour about 1/2 cup in with the sausage. This allows them to cook more evenly without burning the outsides. When the water evaporates, add more. Continue this for approximately 15 minutes, then let the last batch of water evaporate and brown up the outside edges of the sausage.) Transfer the entire contents of the marinara sauce in with the sausage, and reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. The sausage will finish cooking in the sauce, but depending on your pans and stove, you'll want to make a small incision in the middle of one to make sure they're fully cooked (no longer pink).
When your squash is done, remove from the oven, and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Once cool, take a large serving spoon, and scoop the strands from the skin. Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle with 1T olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. See the strands! Just like real spaghetti!
When the sauce has finished cooking, I like to scoop some of the squash strands back into the skins to serve. They're just like bread bowls from Panera, and make for a great presentation. Top with as much grated parmigiano reggiano as your little heart desires.
This is a great meal to show off your ingenuity in the kitchen. You'll be amazed at how great a substitute it is for actual pasta. The squash is not overcooked (nobody likes mushy baby food), and gives a little resistance when biting down. It really doesn't have much of its own flavor. You get a little bit of a pumpkin/butternut squash flavor, but for the most part, it takes on the taste of the marinara, which by the way is perfectly savory. Sometimes when I make marinara, I'll add a little bit of honey to offset the acidity, but given the natural sweetness of the squash (and the sausage), I decided not to. The tomatoes are crushed and smushed and wonderfully hearty with a nice kick from the crushed red pepper. And lastly, the sweet Italian sausage. If you've had it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, go buy some. These are from this wonderful shop in Arlington, VA, that my grandma used buy from when she lived there. She used to serve these for Christmas dinner with spaghetti and meatballs or her famous lasagna. The gentle fennel seed flavor is really the mark of a good sweet sausage, and it comes through with stunning clarity against the other flavors. This is such a great meal. I felt fully satisfied, wasn't hungry later, and heck, anytime you can use a vegetable in place of a grain, I'm definitely in.
Questions, comments, concerns below. Buon appetito!
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